bark up the wrong tree

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An allusion to a situation in which a hunting dog misidentifies the tree up which it has chased an animal and positions itself at the base of another tree, barking upward at the branches.

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Czech: plakat na špatném hrobě — bark up the wrong tree
• Danish: tage fejl — bark up the wrong tree
• Danish: være på vildspor — bark up the wrong tree
• Danish: gå galt i byen — bark up the wrong tree
• Finnish: haukkua väärää puuta — bark up the wrong tree
• French: faire fausse route — bark up the wrong tree
• French: se mettre le doigt dans l'œil — bark up the wrong tree
• French: miser sur le mauvais cheval — bark up the wrong tree
• French: se tromper de cible — bark up the wrong tree
• German: auf dem Holzweg sein — bark up the wrong tree
• Hebrew: טעה בכתובת (ta'á bak'tóvet) — bark up the wrong tree
• Hebrew: טיפס על העץ הלא נכון (tipés ál ha'éts haló nakhón) — bark up the wrong tree
• Italian: prendere un granchio — bark up the wrong tree
• Lithuanian: būti neteisiam — bark up the wrong tree
• Norwegian Bokmål: ta feil — bark up the wrong tree
• Norwegian Bokmål: bli villedet — bark up the wrong tree
• Polish: skupiać się na złej sprawie — bark up the wrong tree
• Portuguese: bater à porta errada — bark up the wrong tree
• Portuguese: bater na porta errada — bark up the wrong tree
• Russian: напа́сть на ло́жный след (napástʹ na lóžnyj sled) — bark up the wrong tree
• Russian: не тем заниматься (ne tem zanimatʹsja) — bark up the wrong tree
• Russian: не в ту степь поехать (ne v tu stepʹ pojexatʹ) — bark up the wrong tree
• Spanish: errar el tiro — bark up the wrong tree
• Spanish: petar a la puerta equivocado — bark up the wrong tree